If you’ve never visited it, the forums (or Water Cooler, as it is so aptly named) at Absolute Write are an amazing wealth of information, support and—when necessary—kicks in the rear. For both beginning writers, those of us at the start of our publishing journey, and people with a long list of published works behind their name.

Even if you aren’t a writer, or have no ambitions to be one, you should go. The discussions that you can stumble across at that site are as wide ranging and fascinating as a trip through the entire curriculum of any post-secondary institution of education. Discussions of grammar give way to debates over government policy, which step aside to allow neophytes (like myself!) sit at the feet of our elders (some of them younger than us) and learn. In fact, the whole forum is a site dedicated to learning in a fashion that our education systems can only dream of attaining.

But, it costs money to run a forum with a registered user population of fifty thousand or so. While it’s possible to make donations to help defray the costs, in this economic climate, not everyone has the cash spare to help support the site.

Late in the summer of 2012, someone on the Erotica board at Absolute Write suggested we put together an anthology of erotica or erotic romance stories and publish it, with the idea of raising money to support the forums. Aside from costs of getting a cover and buying the ISBN so we could put it up on Amazon and other commercial sites, all proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be turned over to MacAllister, who is the All-Seeing Entity and Wielder of the Mouse of Power at the forums.

Being a democratic bunch, we held a vote, eventually deciding on the theme of Underground (to be taken literally or figuratively). Since Erotica and Erotic Romance are still something that is hidden away and kept underground (though that is changing with every day that passes), it seemed an appropriate theme.

Love Underground was the first story I conceived, wrote, finished, had critiqued, and then submitted anywhere. Imagine my shock, when it was accepted alongside works by established and well-known authors in the genre. I’m afraid I wasn’t very out-of-the-box for this one—I took the literal definition and sent my boys spelunking in a cave. It’s a short piece, not much more than five thousand words long. Other authors in the anthology include Jack L. Pyke, Lauren Gallagher, C.P. Foster, Maryn Blackburn, Karenna Colcroft, Erin Lark and Cleo Peitsche. In the interest of clarity and transparence, the anthology is a mix of MM and MF fiction, but there’s some darn good story-writing in there.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to try out a real variety of writers, here’s your chance, and know that you’re helping to support the next generation of writers who will entertain you with all the skill, talent, and passion you could hope for.

Click here to learn more about the stories in the anthology, and for links to where it’s available.

The erotica authors of the Absolute Write are taking you underground—sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively. Karenna Colcroft’s haunting story gives sex in public an unexpected twist, and Erin Lark makes waiting out a storm into something special—and hot!— before Kate Lowell draws you deep into a cave for a steamy encounter. Lauren Gallagher sends you back to the 1930s for some gambling, bootlegging, and a little forbidden ménage, while Maryn Blackburn brings two enemies together in the wintery depths of World War II.

If you’re in the mood for something extra spicy, you’ll love how C.P. Foster opens up a very new world for a curious barmaid. And stick around because Cleo Peitsche and Jack L. Pyke keep the kink coming.

Come join us—but fair warning. Once you go underground, you may never want to come back…

All proceeds from this anthology benefit the Absolute Write online community.